UV Protection for Dyneema
In your recent review of shackles (PS, September 2014), you tossed in a statement about recoating the soft shackles bimonthly with a UV protectant. Why? And what part of the shackle needs treatment? If Dyneema loses its UV resistance that readily, its news to me. Do my Dyneema lifelines need similar treatment?
Mailport: January 2015
This is in regard to the excellent November and December 2014 articles on SSB radios. I installed an Icom M802, KISS counterpoise, GAM backstay antenna, and Pactor Dragon modem for our Pacific crossing. Our boat is now on the hard in Fiji. We spent two years cruising in the Sea of Cortez prior to sailing to the Marquesas. …
Mantus Upgrades Hook Latch
When we reviewed the Mantus Chain Hook (see PS December 2013), we found a lot to like, but testers criticized the hooks tendency to come off the chain in some conditions, particularly when the chain was lying on the bottom in calm conditions. Mantus went back to the drawing board with the hook, and provided us with their newly designed injection molded latch retrofit to test.
Where Credit Is Due: January 2015
I dropped off my fabulous 33-kilogram Spade anchor at San Diego Galvanizing (www.sandiegogalvanizing.com) to get rid of some rust stains. The shops owner, Lewis Wise, called me and said he couldnt do the job. Why? Safety. As a metallurgist, Wise said that due to a small patch of corrosion at the junction of the stock and the flukes, he believed the anchor should be retired. What an incredible example of true integrity!
Engine Coolant Replacement
In your recent article on engine coolants (see PS October 2014 online), you wrote about replacement intervals for coolants, and Im looking for clarification. You indicated that the following heavy-duty coolants for diesels were coolants, not antifreeze: Zerex GO5, Peak Final Charge NOAT, and Detroit Diesel Power Cool Plus. You also suggested that I replace the coolant every 1,000 hours, . . . (and for little used engines) changing the coolant every five years is a more practical approach.
Mailport: December 2014
I bought the Perfect Home dehumidifier based on your October 2014 report. You mentioned that you bypassed the converter to use 4 amps at 12 volts; how did you do that? Is there a cord or something that I can buy?
Readers Weigh in on DIY Climber
In the October issue of Practical Sailor, circumnavigator and PS contributor Patrick Childress described a system to simplify going aloft alone. The system, inspired by similar ones that professional riggers routinely use, included some specialized climbing equipment. After reading the article, a few of our readers pointed out that this arrangement made some potentially dangerous assumptions, and they offered suggestions on how to improve it.
Repairing Worn Gelcoat
Regarding your blog post on restoring gelcoat (posted online March 18, 2014): Ive seen many similar articles over the years directed toward refinishing topsides. However, Ive seen no discussion about restoring decks. I have an 18-year-old boat, and Im beginning to see pinholes in the deck gelcoat, particularly on edges and curves where I suspect the gelcoat is thinner. Im curious what the experts would recommend.
Mailport: November 2014
As a boatbuilder/multihull cruiser for 45 years and the author of the recently released Anchoring and Mooring the Cruising Multihull ebook, I take issue with your response to Tom Welch (PS Advisor, July 2014), that he should not use a swivel connection in the anchor rode of his 41-foot catamaran. With multihulls of this size or under, particularly trimarans or catamarans like Welchs Maine Cat, ground tackle requirements and anchoring techniques vary from monohulls a lot.
The Birth of the Cable Tamer
These high-tech times present a whole new challenge for us cruising folks. How does one cope with the multitude of cords, chargers, headphones, and adaptors that accompany every new device that comes on board? Add two gadget-hungry teenagers, a few Kindles, several cameras, and you have cable mayhem. Reader Jessica Rice Johnson wrote us with her solution to the cord chaos aboard her familys 62-foot catamaran.
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Cal 2-27 Used Boat Review
Our story begins in 1970, with the introduction of the Cal 29. Looking for something similar but a bit smaller, the company asked designer Bill Lapworth for a 27-footer, which at first was the Cal 27, a fin keel, spade rudder design with a convertible pop top; another incarnation of this basic hull was the T/2. But the concept of the 29 found its full expression in the Cal 2-27, which began production in 1975 and continued to 1977, after which it was again modified and called simply the Cal 27...again. Production of it ceased in 1986.
